Harrowing photo reveals city's delayed Covid crisis
Haunting images of people lying on beds outside hospitals show the grim reality of Hong Kong's Covid outbreak.
Since the start of the pandemic Hong Kong has locked down residents as outbreaks occur, but as infections rise due to Omicron the healthcare system is struggling.
Images and videos posted to social media show dozens of patients lying outside hospitals and being treated in freezing weather.
According to local broadcaster Cable, several hospitals are operating at over 100 per cent capacity and over 12,000 infected patients are waiting to be hospitalised.
"I’ve worked in healthcare in HK for a decade. Our public hospitals are always stressed. We buckle every time there’s a flu surge," Hong Kong clinical virologist Dr Siddharth Sridhar tweeted.
"Now, with a disease that is more transmissible/severe than flu, AND requires exposed staff to quarantine, HK’s hospitals are sandcastles in a tsunami."
Hong Kong cases numbers skyrocket
According to pro-Beijing media reports, China's President Xi Jinping has told Hong Kong's leaders their "overriding mission" is to control the latest outbreak.
Local newspapers Wen Wei Po and Ta Kung Pao said he reportedly instructed Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng to relay to Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam his "concern about the pandemic situation", saying the government "must mobilise all power and resources to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety and health of the Hong Kong people, and ensure the stability of the society."
The Hong Kong government has had three years to prepare for a serious outbreak and this is the result. Elderly patients lining up outside emergency departments on hospital beds. So incompetent and, at the same time, completely avoidable. pic.twitter.com/8xEHUJJf6d
— Sophie Mak (@SophieMak1) February 16, 2022
Hong Kong has implemented the 'dynamic zero' coronavirus strategy, aiming to reduce the number of infections to zero, while other countries moved towards living with the virus.
However, Beijing officials and Chinese state media say adopting a "living with the virus" policy, as some countries have done, would overwhelm Hong Kong's medical system.
It is sticking with quarantines, mask mandates, case tracing and lockdowns of buildings and neighbourhoods when outbreaks occur.
However, the contagiousness of the Omicron variant of the virus has left healthcare systems struggling, with Ms Lam saying they can no longer keep up with testing and isolation mandates, but are refusing to abandon the strategy.
"The onslaught of the fifth wave of the epidemic has dealt a heavy blow to Hong Kong and overwhelmed the city's capacity of handling," several publications reported Ms Lam saying on Monday.
"The situation is highly undesirable and the government feels worried and sorry about it."
Three-year-old dies from Covid in Hong Kong
On late Sunday (local time) the Hong Kong government announced children aged three and up would be eligible for a Covid vaccination, amid a spike in cases.
Previously, vaccinations were available to children aged five and older.
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On Tuesday evening, a three-year-old girl was among the cities nine deaths recorded in a 24-hour reporting period. She did not have any pre-existing conditions
In Hong Kong 74.9 per cent of the eligible population has received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccination and 9.6 per cent of residents aged 3 to 11 have received one dose.
with AAP
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